Nikola Vlasic struggled for form and playing time in his two years at Everton, but the 22-year-old is enjoying life back at CSKA Moscow. Vlasic spent last season on loan at the VEB Arena and made a good enough impression to turn the move permanent in July.
Everton paid £10m in 2017 and even made a £4m profit from his sale despite him scoring just two goals in 19 appearances. He’s putting his former teammates to shame this season too, having scored (5) and created (3) eight goals in 14 Russian Premier League games.
No player in the Everton squad comes close to matching Vlasic’s record in 2019/20. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the Blues’ top scorer (3) while Richarlison (2) and Lucas Digne (2) have the most assists. As per WhoScored, the attacking-midfielder has created 37 chances and made 37 successful dribbles (66%).
In the last month-and-a-half, the 22-year-old has been outstanding – three goals and three assists in CSKA’s last five league games. Everton have a sell-on clause for Vlasic but not a buyback option – a decision they must be regretting given his form so far.